Canada West blocks leader Hickey excited to showcase her abilities in series vs. Calgary
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
19 | 10 | 11 | 27 | 67 |
|
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8 | 18 | 9 | 6 | 41 |
Team Stats
| Game Statistics | Calgary | MacEwan University |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (24-66) | (12-45) |
| Field Goal % | 36.4% | 26.7% |
| Rebounds | 35 | 32 |
| Assists | 13 | 10 |
| Turnovers | 16 | 34 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 35 | 8 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 16 | 3 |
| Pts in the Paint | 26 | 6 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 17 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 10 | 14 |
Jefferson Hagen
MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – The art of blocking in basketball is about timing, anticipation and positioning.
For Samantha Hickey, it's a skill-set she's been working on for years, going back to when she played high-level volleyball with the Junior Pandas.
Back then, as she was busy helping the powerhouse Pandas finish fourth in the country, she was planning on playing volleyball at the U SPORTS level. But basketball just drew her back in.
"I was definitely leaning more towards volleyball, but I remember in high school I had one last weekend – it was a school tournament – and I just remember loving the environment," said Hickey, who joined the Griffins women's basketball team in 2023.
"It's a very different mental sport than volleyball and you can get down on yourself a lot easier, but I find this to be more of an effort sport in a way. You can develop and I didn't see anywhere to peak. You can just keep getting better, which I like. It was more for the promise of development and keeping in shape, to be honest."
That's certainly what's happened as Hickey just keeps getting better. She woke up after a weekend series at Lethbridge sitting in first place in Canada West in blocks with 31 in 12 games.
Included in that total was a six-block effort against the Pronghorns last Friday that's tied for the fourth-best single game output in MacEwan's Canada West history.
"She was a high-performance volleyball player before she committed to basketball full-time, so I think that has really helped her timing in just understanding when to jump, how to position herself," said Griffins head coach Katherine Adams. "She's pretty dynamic, so she has that innate ability, the physical attributes and the timing to be able to do it.
"I think it's something that she takes a lot of pride in and really brings energy to our team in doing so."
Hickey will lead the Griffins into a weekend series vs. U SPORTS No. 7 Calgary that includes Friday's 'School Day' game that starts at 11:30 a.m. Saturday's contest is 3 p.m. (both David Atkinson Gym, Canada West TV).
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"I'm so excited," said Hickey of playing in front of what will certainly be a packed gym of school children. "I love when all the kids are around. Definitely something I'm passionate about is working with kids, so seeing them all come out is so exciting.
"I think everyone's so excited. Last year, they came and made signs and bracelets and it's just so awesome for everyone."
Denied!
— MacEwan Griffins Women's Basketball Team (@Griffins_WBB) November 1, 2025
Samantha Hickey with two blocks on one sequence in a brilliant display of defence in the fourth quarter. She is up to nine blocks for the weekend so far.#GriffNation pic.twitter.com/hOUV8rpuLk
If not for Kelly Fagan, who dominated with 111 blocks in two seasons in the program's early years in the conference (2014-16), Hickey would likely be rewriting the Griffins' record books. She's currently second in program history with 68 career blocks.
"I just think it's such a momentum shift," she said of the importance of a good ol' block. "It's what I'm supposed to be good at, so it's not shocking for the team anymore. It's kind of an expectation at this point, but it is fun to have those players go up confidently against you because you're bigger and slower than them and let them think they have a step on you and just destroy them.
"It makes me feel a little bit better, especially when I'm not contributing offensively some games. It's just some way to contribute that helps the team with so much momentum.
"Kelly Fagan, I would like her not to be in the record book, but I always work towards it," she added with a laugh.
Samantha Hickey is working on the offensive side of her game as she looks to become a two-way force in Canada West (Husain Dhooma photo).
The offensive side of the game is what Hickey is working on adding to her repertoire as she aims to be a two-way force by the time her Canada West career is complete. She is coming off her fourth career double double at Lethbridge last Friday when she scored 10 points to go along with 17 rebounds – tied for the fourth most by a Griffin in a Canada West contest.
"The defensive side is certainly the side she knows can really be her anchor – something she can root herself in and be consistent in just protecting the rim, getting rebounds and using her length to her advantage," said Adams. "I think she's starting to showcase also her ability to score. She's had some great moments and great weekends for us and is really committed to working on her game and improving that as well to round that out, so she can anchor us in her defensive ability but also contribute a little bit more at the offensive end."
For Adams, going against Calgary is always special, considering she played five seasons for the Dinos from 2001-06.
"My alma mater … I spent a lot of time there. It's always fun to play them," she said. "That program's gone through a lot of change from my time as an athlete there. Players come, players go and they have new coaching this year with a different style. It's always exciting.
"The opportunity to play one of the top teams not only in the conference but in the country is always exciting. Getting to do it Friday in front of a packed gym of screaming kids is always exciting. You can't ask for anything more than that."
